cmd/go: doc: doesn't show embedded struct's methods

[gucio321]

Proposal Details

Hi!
I was recently using a new GO module in my project.
There was code like this:

type (
   A struct {}
   B struct { *A }
)

func (*A) Foo() {}

Tybe B however was a large struct with many methods and exported fields.
I had a code example that used method Foo and I just wanted to know more about i.
I used go doc B.Foo but it said doc: no method or field B.Foo in package.

I suppose, that because call like this is 100% possible &B{}.Foo(), above go doc call should return documentation for Foo

[gabyhelp]

Related Issues and Documentation

• x/tools/cmd/godoc: public embedded struct fields are not shown #10593 (closed)
• godoc should compute actual method set #1000 (closed)
• cmd/godoc: Nested functions on embedded types are only shown 1 level deep. #9762 (closed)
• cmd/go: doc doesn't show exported fields acquired by embedding non-exported types. #27581 (closed)
• x/tools/cmd/godoc: public fields of a private embedded struct do not appear in GoDoc #59951 (closed)
• godoc should show Exported methods for unexported types #2273 (closed)
• cmd/doc: doc links in doc of a method in an interface are not expanded #59728
• x/tools/cmd/godoc: show exported fields promoted from unexported anonymous fields #6600

_{(Emoji vote if this was helpful or unhelpful; more detailed feedback welcome in this discussion.)}

[gucio321]

#1000 seems similar but it was in 2010 and there was a regression since that (?)

[zigo101]

As #1000 was ever fixed, so this should not be a proposal?

[gucio321]

@zigo101 so a bug? Could you change pls? Or should i open another issue as a bug?

[ianlancetaylor]

I haven't verified this, but as reported it's just a bug. This issue is fine as is. Thanks.

[codekitchen]

I investigated this a bit and found that this change in behavior, hiding methods from exported embeds, was intentional in response to #2791 . So I don't think this qualifies as a bug?

Background info from my investigation:

The current src/go/doc package intentionally hides methods from exported embeds by default. It does include unexported embedded methods, for instance:

type (
    a struct{}
    B struct { *a }
)

func (*a) Foo() {}

go doc B.Foo will show the method in this case, because a is not exported.

To revert back to showing exported embedded methods too, the go doc command at src/cmd/doc could pass the AllMethods mode flag to src/go/doc

[zigo101]

The current src/go/doc package intentionally hides methods from exported embeds by default. It does include unexported embedded methods,

The design difference here looks unnecessary.